


Letters from Home

by Zaphrina



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Demigods, Letters, M/M, Military, OT3, Pen Pals, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28253385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaphrina/pseuds/Zaphrina
Summary: Lieutenant Commander Percy Jackson starts getting letters from the Demigods in Foreign Wars program in New Rome. His mysterious writers capture his attention and his heart.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson/Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Percy Jackson/Will Solace
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66





	1. Holmes and Watson

_ To whoever receives this letter, _

_ We feel sort of silly writing this, but our friend is a part of the Demigods in Foreign Wars program in New Rome, and thinks it would benefit us to have a pen pal. _

_ We were both soldiers in the Battle of Manhattan and the Giant War. One of us was a medic, and the other a footsoldier, so we’ve seen some things. _

_ We assume you have too, and we sure would have liked to have someone to talk to during that. Apparently our friend at the DFW agrees, and is highly recommending (read: forcing) us to participate. _

_ But, don’t take that too personally, we’re just not the super sociable type. Well, one of us is, but the other is a bit of a Debbie Downer, so making friends is tough in New Rome. _

_ We were hoping to make a friend in you, random demigod.  _

_ Enough about us, tell us about yourself. _

_ Why did you join the military? The mortal one, at that? Are you Greek or Roman?  _

_ We’re Greek, so our idea of an army is pretty loose. But, if you were Roman in origin, the military might be closer to home for you. _

_ What’s your favorite myth? _

_ What was your favorite myth but is now not anymore because you met the person from the myth? _

_ What’s your favorite color? Food? _

_ If we could send you one thing, what would it be? _

_ We’d love to hear back from you, _

_ Holmes & Watson _

He read the words over and over again. Reyna had told him to participate in the demigod pen pal program, that it would be good to talk to someone. He smiled, it was cute, the way the two people were always writing over each other and in different handwriting. Holmes and Watson must be a couple of high ranking demigods if they were concealing their identities, but Percy didn’t care. He could relate. 

“Jackson, you pick a letter yet?” his Commander called before walking in. “You’re not supposed to read it here, you big dork. Take it back with you and write back,” the man rolled his eyes as Percy blushed.

“I got excited,” he replied, but stood and made his way back to his barracks. 

He would definitely write back. Holmes and Watson were friendly, and having a pen pal intrigued Percy. 

As he settled in for the night after dinner, he pulled out his blue pen and a piece of lined paper and tried his best to write in neat handwriting his reply to his new acquaintances. This would certainly be a good distraction from his current lack of missions. 


	2. Jackson, Perseus

_ Dear Holmes and Watson, _

_ It was a pleasure hearing from you. You were right, and my friend at the DFW said the same thing to me: it might be nice to have somebody to talk to.  _

_ But before I answer your questions I wanted to say thank you for your efforts in the Battle of Manhattan and the Giant War. I was a part of both of those as well, and I know as well as anybody that every single person that helped was needed.  _

_ I guess you're living in New Rome based on your comments. I'm Greek too, but I also live in New Rome when I'm not on a mission.  _

_ I joined the military because of my friend. He wanted to join, but we lost him before he could, and I guess I wanted to honor his legacy by living out what he couldn't. It's also why I try and vacation wherever I can when I'm on leave instead of coming home. He always wanted to travel. He also wanted to dye his hair blue, that's next for me after I leave the service. _

_ What about you? You ever do something drastic to honor a lost friend? _

_ My favorite myth is Persephone and Hades, I find it very romantic and I live for those things. The old myth anyway, not the new one about how he tricked and stole her. _

_ But a myth I used to like until I met the person in question was Calypso on Ogygia. I didn't expect her to show up at Camp Halfblood and she doesn't like me that much. _

_ My favorite color is blue and I love blueberry muffins more than any other food.  _

_ If you could send me one thing it would probably be cabin socks. The military socks are so scratchy! _

_ You said one of you was a medic, are you still doing that? It's noble work. One of my friends was a medic during the wars, you might know him. Real nice guy. _

_ I'm being summoned for training. _

_ Until next time, _

_ JP _

"I haven't seen Calypso not like anybody," Will laughed. "Our JP must be a real pisser."

"'Our JP' he says," Nico was eyeing his boyfriend up in judgement. "You're already attached!"

"Am not!" Will stuck his tongue out.

"You so are. You're going to fall in love with a travelling soldier and leave me on my lonesome. Woe is me," Nico rolled back in bed and covered his eyes with his arm. 

"Don't be so dramatic," Will whacked him on the arm. "You know I love you," he leaned in and kissed Nico's nose, prompting the dark-haired man to peek out from under his arm and smile.

"Alright, I believe you," he responded. "So, we're buying Our JP cabin socks right? Of the softest variety?" He teased.

"Most definitely."

"Hah!" Nico laughed out loud. "I knew you were attached," but a moment later he added: "Alright. I'm in. Percy was telling me about amish socks. Maybe we can order some online."

"Oh okay, and I am the one who gets attached quickly," Will crossed his arms at his boyfriend, now teasing him. "You're ready to buy amish socks that Percy Fucking Jackson recommended to you."

Nico had the self-awareness to be a  _ little _ embarrassed about this, but hey, who really cared? Will was always telling him to make new friends. He had a new pen pal! 

"Hey, the dudes from New York. That's close enough to Pennsylvania to know about amish goods," he defended himself, but Will just laughed at him. 

Okay, so his crush on Percy Jackson had never really gone away, and he did listen when the older boy rambled on about things like socks. But, who could blame him? Everyone had had a crush on him at some point! Even Will! (Who had defended himself by saying he saw Percy pretty often while working in the infirmary, and who wouldn't have a crush on someone who was always protecting others?)

"Fine. We can order some online. But we're still going to write back first. I think we should make fun of him for getting fun-loving Calypso to dislike him."

"Agreed."


	3. Frodo and Samwise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bolded words are Will writing.  
> Underlined words are Nico writing.

_ Dear JP, _

_ First off, the two of us would like to know how Miss Pretty Pretty Princess Calypso doesn’t like you? She legitimately likes everyone. What could you have possibly said to her? _

_ Second, we thought it was so noble of you to follow your friend’s dreams. What was your favorite place you’ve travelled to?  _

_ And, thinking of friends we honor, it’d be hard to say.  _

**_I would say we honor each and every one of our lost friends by living our best lives every day and appreciating the lives we can live because of their sacrifices._ **

_ And I agree, but I also think it’s important to protect their legacies with physical representation. We’re erecting a statue to the former praetor and war hero Jason Grace in the square in New Rome. So we can teach the next generation about his deeds as well. _

_ But we both agree that it is important to remember our lost friends.  _

_ Back to Calypso. How? How could she not like a person? She even likes us, and we’re the worst kind of couple. (Also one of us is Mister Doom and Gloom all the time). _

_ Our least favorite myth is Cupid and how he is such a lover of love, when in reality he’s a huge prick. _

**_But, onto your question: yes, I am still a medic. It can be stressful, but it’s rewarding work._ ** ****

_ And I used to be a trainer at Camp Halfblood, I now go to college in New Rome. _

_ We do occasionally visit Camp Jupiter, but not as frequently anymore, though we do try to visit the Praetors every so often. _

_ Tell us more about you. What branch are you in? Are you in a special demigod unit or are you mixed with mortals? We don’t really know how the DFW works. _

_ If you want to know more about us, we’re twenty and twenty one, both in school, we live together in an apartment in New Rome. We frequently host our Greek and Roman siblings (despite Mister Doom and Gloom’s aversion to socialization and partying).  _

_ We want to write you longer letters so you have something to look forward to, but we don’t know anything about you yet so it’s hard to figure out what you’d want to hear. _

_Would you rather hear about our lives, or the goings on of New Rome? We’re celebrating one of our birthdays this weekend so that’s exciting! Big party is going to happen with our siblings and friends. Sort of wished we could invite our parents but_ **_my mom is busy and_** _my mom is dead. __Plus, not even all of our friends could come. One of our friends is gone_ _( he isn’t dead, he just went home and hasn’t messaged any of us since. We assume the war got to him)_ _._ _And two of our friends are on a quest to bring him back to New Rome. He’s been gone for about three years now, so we’re a little worried he isn’t coming back._

**_He definitely won’t be back by my birthday. It’s in several days_ ** _. _

_ Mine isn’t until January, so there’s always a chance we’ll bring him home by then. _

_ Sorry for ranting about our friends, we have enough to fill the void, but we worry when one of our own isn’t in the picture anymore. _

_ Do you have any friends with you in the military? Did you leave anyone behind when you left? _

_ We’re curious to know more about you. _

_ Write back soon, _

_ Frodo and Samwise. _

Percy winced at the mention of Jason, his passing had been… A shock to Percy. Percy had been so wrecked after Tartarus that he’d spent not enough time with his best bro and suddenly after a seemingly simple quest, he was gone. He was the friend Percy was honoring by being in the Navy. Granted, Jason wanted to be in the Air Force, but Percy didn’t do well in the air, so this was as close as he could get. 

He also winced at the mention of Calypso. It wasn’t that  _ she _ didn’t like  _ him _ per se. He was just still upset about how she had cursed him and Annabeth in Tartarus. He was allowed to stay bitter. It wasn’t his fault.

His duo of pen pals did manage to make him laugh though. Mister Doom and Gloom? Reminded him of Nico. Hopefully he had made more friends. Percy had been using his shore leave to travel instead of going back to New York or New Rome, and hadn’t seen them in a while. He’d been dating Will still when Percy had left in the night, so hopefully that ball of sunshine was opening Nico up to new friendships.

Percy shook his head. It wouldn’t do to dwell on his old friends. Especially those two. He’d  _ unfortunately _ developed feelings for the couple, another one of the reasons he’d decided to leave town. No need to ruin anyone else’s lives. 

He wondered if he knew these people though, himself being a trainer at Camp Halfblood for a long while. He wished he knew their identities, but he also figured it was best if he didn’t know them and they didn’t know him.

He was technically a war hero, but he’d done terrible things and been through terrible things (even before he joined the Navy), people either were in awe of, afraid of, or pitied him.

Something the letter did remind him of though, was that it was his birthday. August 18th. 

He missed his mom’s blue cake. She was the only one who knew where he was. He’d told Annabeth all those years ago that he couldn’t handle Tartarus’ effect on him and wanted to go home and get away from camp. He left his apartment in New Rome and joined the Navy.

It was sort of sad that he hadn’t seen his friends in so long. He wondered about them. Usually Annabeth, Nico, and Will. Sometimes Leo and Hazel and Frank and Reyna. He knew he always had a place at the home of the Praetors, but he never felt comfortable barging in. 

He sighed. He was allowed to have leave from December 19th until January 4th, but he hadn’t made plans yet.

These letters.... They were making him nostalgic. Maybe he would visit his mom and then his friends this year.


	4. Clarisse's Plan

_ Dear Frodo and Samwise, _

_ Lord of the Rings is my favorite movie, if you were wondering. _

_ And about Calypso… She doesn’t not like me per se, I am just not a fan of hers I guess. Long story. Maybe I’ll tell you another time. _

_ And to answer your questions: My favorite place to go to is Hawaii. I’m in the Navy. I’m in a highly specialized demigod Navy SEAL unit. No, the other units don’t know we’re demigods. We don’t use our powers if we have them.  _

_ When are they unveiling the statue of Jason? I’d like to see that. My shore leave is coming up. _

_ And I’d love to hear more about your lives, and also the goings on in New Rome. I haven’t seen my friends in a while. I wonder if you know any of them.  _

_ I’m twenty three, I didn’t go to college, the dyslexia and ADHD were too hard for me, I barely finished high school.  _

_ Also happy birthday! Mine was a few days ago, I actually got your letter on it, so that was a nice present. I’m sorry about your moms and your friend not being able to attend your party, that’s unfortunate. I’m sure they would have been there if they could. I met some friends in the military, but none of my camp friends are here. There are quite a few here who were from Camp Jupiter, but I’m the only Greek in my unit.  _

_ And, to answer your final question, I left everyone behind. I can relate to your friend in that aspect, the war got to me, and I couldn’t be around my friends or family. I threw myself into another war, and my time in Iraq was almost cathartic after the death of my friend and being so alone. It was good to feel useful again.  _

_ I don’t know how much longer I’ll stay in the service, maybe a long while. I don’t have school or a job or really anything to come back to. I’m afraid if I get injured or discharged I’ll be useless again. _

_ I could always go back to training at camp, but training little kids is not good for my soul. I’m sure the two of you can relate. Greek demigods don’t usually make it to their twenties, and as I get older I realize how messed up training children for war is. How messed up I must be.  _

_ What are the two of you doing for Christmas? I haven’t made travel plans yet and I was considering going home to see my mom. There’s always a bed for me in Camp Jupiter, so I could visit my friends there as well. I’m sure they’d be surprised, I only told two people I was joining the military and one of them was my mom. I’ve never seen Christmas at Camp Halfblood, so that might be fun. Weird or a bunch of kids of gods to celebrate Christmas, right? You’d think it would upset our parents or something to celebrate a Christian holiday. _

_ You said one of you was a trainer at Camp Halfblood. What’s your weapon of choice? I myself am a sword kind of guy. I can’t do bows and arrows though, I am the WORST at archery. You don’t want to know how many nymphs trees I have very narrowly missed.  _

_ It’s getting late and I have a very early morning tomorrow, so I’m going to wrap it up. _

_ I hope to hear from you soon, _

_ JP _

Nico and Will read over it twice, saddening with every word. Their JP must be a tortured soul. Really, all of them were. They all had mental and physical battle scars that not even nectar and ambrosia could heal. 

“He seems so… Sad,” Will whispered, not wanting to break the silence of the moment.

“He does,” Nico agreed. “But so were you, and so was I after all of it. He didn’t have anyone to comfort him like we did. We don’t know what he went through or how he’s dealing with it.”

“I wonder who else he told he was joining the military. He mentioned someone involved in the DFW program, a friend of his,” Will wondered. “I wish we could figure out who he was. I’d love to invite him for Christmas, but I also don’t want to invite a stranger into our home.”

“I know,” Nico wrapped his arm around his boyfriend. “But maybe after some time he’ll feel comfortable telling us his name. He said he left his friends behind, maybe we can find them and tell them that he’s okay.”

“That would be nice,” Will replied, but was cut off by a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” Nico grunted, still wary of visitors.

“It’s me, punk,” came a muffled voice through the door. Will jumped up and hurried over to let Clarisse in.

“Hey,” he smiled at their friend. “What brings you here?”

“I bring the good gossip,” Clarisse’s gruff frown morphed into a devilish smirk. Nico and she had become fast friends after the Giant War, and had bonded about how dumb that Seaweed Brain was.

“Ooh, come in, sit down,” Will dragged her over to the second couch and sat her down before joining Nico across from her. “What is it?”

“Annabeth is back.”

Nico tried to keep his face in check, though his eyes perked up in interest. Annabeth had left on a ‘quest’ a month ago to find Percy. Nico couldn’t help be curious.

“And? Did she find him?” Will was leaning forward, hands on his knees. 

“She talked to Sally,” Clarisse started, and Nico frowned. Why hadn’t they thought to talk to Sally any time in the first three years of Percy’s disappearance?

It turns out Nico said that out loud because Clarisse responded with rolling eyes.

“Well originally we thought we would leave her alone because he went home, but after a year of no contact with him Annabeth went to New York to find him, right?” Nico nodded and gestured for her to keep going. “Then Sally moved with Paul to a new place and we couldn’t find them. Until now.”   
“Ooh,” Nico mouthed. “Go on, then. What happened?”   
“He wasn’t there.”

“Like, he was at the grocery store?” Will frowned. What did she mean that he wasn’t there?

“No. He was only at home for three months. Sally said he went off to ‘find himself’ and hadn’t been back since,” Clarisse deadpanned, worry in her eyes. Despite her childish rivalry with the son of Poseidon, they had also become better friends after the Giant War. Or, as much as they could with Percy’s mental state in such disarray after Tartarus and the wars. 

“He’s been off ‘finding himself’ for nearly three years?” Nico raised an eyebrow. “He hasn’t visited his beloved mom or friends this whole time?” His cheeks burned red as anger flared up inside him. 

“Love, calm down,” Will whispered, holding his hand firmly in both of his own. 

“He left us all, his friends, not to mention his family, and didn’t ask for help when he’s clearly unhinged. What was he always nagging me about in the past? Opening up and talking to people when I needed help? He’s so… so… He is such a Seaweed Brain!” Nico exclaimed and Clarisse barked out a laugh.

“Yeah, I had the angry stage too. Now I’m just… Worried,” she sobered up again and Nico settled into his chair.

“So, what do we do?” Will asked, keeping his own emotions more in check. 

“We have no way of finding him. He has a deal with Iris, so nobody can message him. We don’t have the tracking equipment to find him, or we would have used it by now,” she shrugged. “We’re dead in the water.”

Will paused. 

“Water,” he murmured. “Poseidon controls all seas on the planet, right? We could ask him if Percy has been on any beaches or sailing or something, right?” He asked, and Nico frowned.

“We can’t just ask a god for help, not without paying them back,” Nico countered.

“Percy is Poseidon’s golden child,” Clarisse scoffed. “Once he finds out his son is missing, he’ll scour the Earth.”

“She has a point,” Will bit his lip. He wanted to bring his friend home, even if him and Nico had no chance in Hades to ever be with him romantically, he never wanted Percy to be alone and miserable. They were friends, after all.

“Alright, say I think this isn’t a horrible idea,” Nico sighed deeply. “How do we get Poseidon’s attention?”

“We can always pray to him at meal times and hope he hears us,” Will suggested.

“Yeah, I’m not sure how else we could notify him without going to his kingdom,” Clarisse muttered. “Which isn’t happening.”

“I guess it’s worth a try,” Nico sighed again. All this talk of having Percy back, it was messing with him. He’d been infatuated with the other boy for so long, maybe even in love with him as a teenager, it had taken time to even allow Will to make advances on him. He hoped Percy being back didn’t mess with his relationship. He knew Will also harbored feelings for the Sea Prince, but they hadn’t talked extensively about it since Percy had been gone for so long, all seemed lost.

But for once, things were looking up.


	5. Spongebob and Patrick

_ JP, _

_ You’ve inspired us to go looking for our friend. We’re going to try to contact his godly parent to help us find him. Thank you. _

_ And wow, a Navy SEAL. You must be highly trained and disciplined. That sounds really intense. How does one go from the wild ways of the Greek demigod to all of that structure? Seems like a big change. _

_ How do you help serve if you don’t use your powers? Do you work like regular mortals? What are your powers?  _

_ Also the statue is being unveiled on Christmas Eve this year. You should come see it if it aligns with your shore leave. I’m sure he would appreciate it.  _

_ Speaking of celebrations, happy birthday! We sent you a present! (Addressed to JP, because we don’t know your name). _

_ You’ve got friends in the two of us, so whenever you feel like you left everyone behind and you’re alone, remember that. You’ve always got the two of us.  _

_ We can definitely understand your stance on training the kids, it gets harder as we get older and realize we’re sending kids out to war. _

_ And, to answer your final question, for Christmas Eve we’re going to the Praetor mansion. We have close friends at Camp Jupiter in high places. For Christmas Day though, we’re going to spend it just the two of us. We enjoy private time after having to socialize extensively. _

_ How are you doing? We worry about you. You said you’d stay in the service for much longer since you don’t have anything else to look forward to. What if you get injured? Do you have a plan?  _

_ What is your favorite kind of music? Have you ever been to a concert? We’re huge My Chemical Romance fans, but we also partake in other genres occasionally. _

_ If you could tell your friends anything, what would you say?  _

_ We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about our friend who left us and while we were angry at first, we’re now at the point that we just want to comfort him and welcome him back home. We’re sure your friends and family would welcome you with open arms. You should consider contacting them. Take it from the friends who got left behind. _

_ It’s nearing October and we’re excited for Halloween. We’re going as pirates to our friend’s party. What was your favorite Halloween costume?  _

_ We hope to hear from you soon,  _

_ Spongebob and Patrick. _

Percy sighed. He was becoming attached to his pen pals. They were making him feel things.

One of those things being regret for leaving Annie and Clarisse and Will and Nico and Grover and Reyna. He left them all right after Jason died. Right after they needed him most. And really, he blamed his two pen pals for what he did next. 

He panicked, really.

He changed into a plain white t-shirt and went into the bathroom alone.

“Oh Goddess Iris,” he winced as he threw the drachma into the shower spray. “Please show me Annabeth Chase.”

He waited a moment before she showed up. It looked like she was in a meeting in the Praetor mansion with Hazel, Frank, Reyna, Rachel, and Nico.

“Who on earth is calling me during a MEETING?” She growled before turning around and gasping. 

“Um, hey,” Percy scratched his wet hair.

“Hey!” She shouted. “Three years and all I get is ‘hey?’” She was tearing up, and the others were shifting in their seats. “Is that a tattoo Perseus?” She choked out. “Your mother is going to kill you.”

Percy laughed a little and scratched at his arm. Whoops. He meant to cover that. It was a wave pattern that stretched over most of his right bicep. One wave for every life he’d ever taken. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m like… Alive. And I’m fine. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Percy shifted his feet. “Hey everyone, sorry for interrupting.”

“This is probably the best interruption I’ve had in years,” Reyna smiled at him. “A missing former praetor calls us up in the middle of a meeting? It could have been a prankster or a medical emergency. This is the ideal situation.”

“Yeah, really it is so good to see you, Percy,” Frank smiled from his position next to Hazel, who was speechless with tears running silently down her face.

“I knew you’d turn up soon,” Rachel said cryptically. “Though I thought it would be a few more months.” Right, the oracle definitely knew about his plans to visit during Christmas.

Percy shifted his eyes to Nico, who had his arms crossed and a single eyebrow raised. He winced at the look the younger man was giving him. Right. Percy had basically been best friends with Nico and Will when he’d left. He’d preached about talking to people when you needed help and seeking out others when you felt like hiding. And then what did he do? He panicked and left without telling anyone but Reyna and his mom.

“Hey Neeks,” he smiled tightly, though the other boy scoffed.

“I’m still mad at you. You don’t get to call me nicknames,” he grunted, then stood abruptly and walked off while mumbling.

Percy’s lungs tightened. His chest ached. He didn’t understand the visceral reaction he was having, but he did understand what the pricking behind his eyes meant.

He cleared his throat.

“I just wanted to tell you I’m okay. Stop trying to find me. Bye,” and he cut off the feed.

He sighed.

He couldn’t believe the effect Nico still had on him. 

When Nico got home early from his meeting, Will was thrilled.

When Nico groaned wordlessly, threw his arms up, and fell onto the couch, Will was worried.

“What happened?” He sat next to his lover and petted his hair gently.

“We were having a boring old meeting when Annabeth got a fricking Iris message right in the middle of the room,” he started and rolled his eyes before going silent. Will smiled sadly. Whenever Nico was very upset, getting information out of him was like pulling teeth.

“Who was it?”

“I’ll give you three guesses.” Nico deadpanned and Will jokingly replied “Percy Jackson,” with a laugh in his voice. A laugh that abruptly ended at Nico’s withering glare. Will immediately sobered up.

“Well? What did he say?” Will was anxious, he’d been so worried about their friend. They’d gotten much closer to him after Nico had come out and denied his feelings for Percy. (Not his type, my ass).

“‘I’m fine,’ he says. And ‘Hey everyone. Hey Neeks.’ It was awful. I hate nicknames. And then after I left he goes ‘Stop looking for me.’ Like Hell!” Nico shot up off the couch and threw his arms wide. “Stop looking for him? What the fuck, Will? Who does he think he is?” He started grumbling under his breath and only stopped when Will tucked himself into a hug under Nico’s chin. He paused and took in the hot tears soaking into his shirt and his boyfriends shaking hands wrapped around him in a hug. There were more important things in the world than being mad at Percy. Namely, his loving boyfriend who was devastated when their close friend left them with nothing, only to show up and tell them to stop looking for him. 

“We will find him,” Nico whispered. “We’ll bring him home. And we’re going to yell at him, and then we’re going to hug him and tell him we missed him. Okay?”

There was a sniffle before Will nodded.

“Okay.”


	6. REDACTED

_ Dear Spongebob and Patrick, _

_ I wouldn’t tell you this if I wasn’t already so attached to you two. Reading your letters and receiving that lovely gift of soft socks have sort of solidified you as my only non-work friends right now. I contacted my friends and it did not go well, so I panicked and left them again with no way to contact me. I am just so afraid of disappointing them after all of this time. I’m not the same person I used to be, and I don’t know if I’m better or worse off. Before I joined the SEALs I was a broken kid, barely an adult, with less friends than I had on one hand. Sure, I had people who I thought were friends, but they just wanted to be around me for all of the glory I had in battle. The only true friends I had… I left them behind. And like I said, I saw a few of them recently. Some of them were happy to see me, and the person I was most looking forward to seeing was angry with me. I don’t know if I can go back to that place where I’m wondering who is my real friend and how do I act around them. Even with my true friends, some of them were afraid of me. Some were afraid for me. It’s not a good environment to be in. I went through something when I was in my late teens that changed me for the worse, and I haven’t gotten over it yet. I still have nightmares about it, not demigod prophetic nightmares, either. They’re just flashbacks that are slightly altered, so I didn’t get out with my friend, or I was alone, or my friend got hurt. These days the nightmares are getting worse, especially after seeing all of my friends again. I was considering coming home this Christmas, but I don’t think I can handle it. _

_ I’m sorry for venting to you, but I have nobody else right now. I’m lost here. I’ve been pulling away from my teammates and it’s messing with our team dynamics, so I have to figure my stuff out quick before I get one of us killed. I’m a highly trained soldier, I can’t let my personal life get in the way of my work. _

_ Back to your letter, you asked a lot of questions and I’ll try to answer them all, but maybe someday we can meet and I can talk to you about them in person. _

_ The change from Greek army to Navy SEAL was very drastic, but I’ve always been a leader so it worked out pretty well. _

_ Not all of us have real ‘powers’ per se, but those of us that do just don’t use them. It would give us away to the mortals, so we just act as regular soldiers. My powers are pretty basic, but specific enough that if I told you, you might figure out who I am. _

_ In response to your “how are you doing question,” I think I sort of answered that already. Not so good, but I need to pull through. I can’t afford to have a bad day.  _

_ If I get injured, I’d probably have to be airlifted to New Rome to receive treatment with nectar and ambrosia since we don’t have enough here to deal with major injuries. In that case, I’d have to face my friends and get a job. The thought frightens me. _

_ I like a lot of music. I do love MCR on occasion, but right now I’m really sad a lot so I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift. She really gets me. _

_ I know that sounds dorky, but her music is soft and reaches my deeper emotions. _

_ My favorite Halloween costume I ever went as would probably be when I went as Aquaman. He’s so cool. _

_ I know I put a lot of heavy stuff in this letter, but I hope you consider me a friend by now, because you’re friends to me. I feel like if we were in person, we’d be fast friends and spending loads of time together. Unfortunately, the mail is slow and it’s hard to communicate with you about the everyday stuff. I wish I could have a cell phone. Oh well. _

_ Your truly, _

_ JP. _

“He’s not doing alright,” Will sighed. Now they had Percy and JP to worry about. 

“I wish we could be more there for him,” Nico expressed, holding Will’s hand and leaning back on the couch. “He reminds me of Percy after Tartarus. He needs help but he doesn’t have a lot of places to go for it, and in this situation, we’re not equipped to help him.”

“Yeah, but there has to be something we can do,” Will was determined. JP was their friend now, and Will and Nico helped their friends. “We should invite him here for Christmas.”

Nico’s eyebrows shot up.

“What happened to not inviting a stranger into our home?” He asked in disbelief.

“He’s not really a stranger, and the two of us are capable of handling anyone.”

“You think we’re capable of handling an emotionally unstable Navy SEAL?” Nico asked his boyfriend dubiously. 

“Well when you say it like that, he could probably take me down. But you’re the Ghost King. You could sic a skeleton on him,” Wills shrugged. “I believe in you.”

“Alright, well despite that, I guess I agree with you. I think it wouldn’t be an awful idea to invite him here. Though it does seem a little soon. I guess he’s right though, considering the hours we’ve spent reading and writing to each other, if that time were spent in the real world we’d be fast friends.”

“Okay, so it’s settled,” Will nodded to himself and got out a piece of paper.

It was on that night, the 21st of October when Will and Nico were writing their reply to their dear JP, when Percy’s worst fears came true.

He knew that pulling away from his team would end up badly. They were a well-oiled machine and when one part was out of whack, the whole system imploded. So when there was a mental divide between him and his team members, when he got into his own head and lost track of the mission, when the bond of their companionship broke… He got separated from them. 

Will was returning from a shift at the local hospital when he ran into the mailman. He picked up his letters with a smile on his face, seeing a letter from JP. 

“That’s odd,” Nico frowned. “We only sent out our letter a week ago, this shouldn’t be here by now unless he sent it the day after we sent ours.”

“Maybe he forgot to say something,” Will had had a good day and wasn’t about to jump to conclusions.

Nico shrugged, but led his boyfriend into the living room where they sat and opened the letter.

_ To the people who have been in correspondence with JP, _

_ We don’t know anything about his family or friends, so you’re the only people we know to notify about this. _

_ He got separated from the team and was captured by enemy fighters during a diplomatic mission. It’s been several days and we have sent multiple teams out looking for him, but due to the political aspect of the mission, we’re not permitted to go in any longer.  _

**_\----REDACTED----_ ** _ is now considered missing in action.  _

_ We aren’t allowed to go after him. If you know his family, please notify them. _

_ Lieutenant Henry Jenkins. _

Nico was first aware of Will practicing his deep breathing techniques beside him. Then he became aware of the tight grip on his own shaking hands. 

“This is bad,” he swallowed thickly.

“We have to find his family,” Will’s eyes were wild with anguish.

“We don’t know anything about him, not even his name,” Nico didn’t know what to do, and he didn’t like that.

“We can’t give up, we can figure this out,” Will reassured him. “We can talk to Reyna.”


	7. Lady Iris' Kindness

Percy had been in the dirt and metal cell for nine days when he finally figured out a plan. 

The only issue was that in between the sparse meals and drinks of water, they’d been beating him senseless, and he was  _ weak. _

He’d been counting the days. It was a Sunday, roughly 8 pm Pacific time. Reyna would be in a meeting with the others.

It took nearly all of his strength to bend his sweat and the water in his cup into a fine mist.

“Oh Lady Iris, I have no drachma to present to you, but I beg of you,” he paused to cough, a bit of blood coming up. “Show me Reyna Ramírez-Arellano.”

There was a flicker, and the mist blurred in and out before showing him the meeting room.

Annabeth was speaking again with Hazel, Frank, Rachel, Nico, and Reyna when the Mist blurred next to Reyna.

“Not again,” Annabeth groaned before taking a closer look.

“Percy, what’s going on?” Nico was alert, eyeing up their Sea Prince with apprehension.

He was shirtless, covered in dark purple bruises and blood. He was looking very thin, and dirty. He had a wild look in his eyes.

“You’ve got to come get me,” his voice was hoarse, and he made eye contact with Nico, who walked closer to get a better look. 

“Where are you?” He couldn’t get the words out fast enough. Seeing Percy like this, it was stirring his feelings. After Tartarus and the wars, Nico started feeling more protective of Percy, especially since they became closer friends. It didn’t help that Nico was also a head taller than the older boy after his growth spurt. 

“I got separated from my team nine days ago. They’ll have left me behind now and told everyone I’m MIA,” Percy said panting, gripped his ribs, and groaned before kneeling. 

“Perseus, where are you?” Nico put some authority in his voice, trying to get through to the wild man.

“I don’t know. Maybe Afghanistan. That’s where I was when I was captured, but we travelled some.” Nico frowned. Why would Percy be in Afghanistan? And what team was he talking about?

“They’re going to kill me. Please, I’m not ready to die,” Nico wanted to reach out as the man so many looked up to started tearing up. 

“We’ll find you. Give us everything you can on your location,” Nico ordered. 

“My team is stationed outside the Southwest corner of Kabul. I shouldn’t be far from there. We were on a diplomatic mission to save a refugee princess. My team got her back safely but lost me in the process. They’ve been beating me but I know they’re going to use more torturous methods to get information on her location. I’m not going to tell them anything, so they’re going to kill me. I’d give it six days. Please,” he begged before looking to the side as footsteps approached. “Please, Nico,” he whispered before waving his hand and ending the Mist. 

“Fuck,” Nico grunted and slammed his hand on the table.

“Calm down, we need to go about this in an organized and thoughtful manner,” Reyna stared him down.

“We don’t have that kind of time,” Nico insisted. “Six days before he’s dead, Rey. I can’t let that happen. I’m going to talk to Will, and then I’m making a team to go get him.”

When Nico finally reached his home and explained the situation to Will, his lover was oddly calm.

“Percy Jackson. Working with a secret team in Afghanistan. Who seems to think he can withstand extensive torture without breaking.”

“Yes,” Nico was exasperated. What was Will getting at?

“JP. Missing in action. Middle East. Jackson comma Perseus.”

“What?” Will was glaring at him.

“JP stands for Jackson, Perseus. I am one hundred percent sure our JP is Percy Jackson. You better go get him and bring him back. I will be ready with a team in medical for your return with him.”

Will never ceased to amaze him.

He said that out loud and his boyfriend let out a laugh.

“Go on, go bring him home.”

Percy was right, which didn’t happen a lot. Obviously, waterboarding didn’t work on him. Not that his captors knew that. They just thought he was a tough nut to crack. Not physically of course, because a lot of his bones were cracked at this point. 

So, what was how Percy found himself two days later tied to a post in the middle of the square.

He wasn’t sure exactly what this was supposed to do, honestly, but other enemy soldiers were gathering. 

Someone started speaking quickly in another language, probably addressing the others present. There was a moment of quiet, and Percy had only a moment to panic when he heard the snapping noise before the lash came down on him, and a sharp stinging pain emanated from his back. 

It only took two days for Nico to make his way with Annabeth and Frank to Afghanistan. Not a place he really wanted to be, if he was being honest. But, he was here for Percy.

After sneaking into the nearest small town, Nico (plus an invisible Annabeth, and Frank disguised as a lizard on his shoulder) made his way through the massive crowd, looking for any sign of armed guards or prisons. It felt like looking for a needle in a haystack.

“Psst,” came a hiss from beside him. To his left was a small open space not being occupied by other strangers. It had to be Ammabeth. “I found him, but you’re not going to like it. Get to the center.”

Frank’s weight was a nearly comforting pressure on Nico’s shoulder as he weaved his way to the center of the gathering. It was a wide open space, but what drew Nico’s attention was the crack of the whip that impacted Percy's swollen and bloodied back.

“I’ll kill them,” he murmured under his breath, and as he willed his powers to gather darkness around him, he felt Annabeth’s hand wrap around his own. 

Dark inky shadows gathered and pooled around all of their feet, yet to be noticed. The instant Nico raised his hands, the shadows concealed the entire gathering, shrouding them all in a black Mist that only Nico could navigate. With Annabeth and Frank in tow, Nico hurried over to Percy’s position. When he knew he had a firm grip on all three of his comrades, he shadow-travelled them out to the edge of the mist and they hurried into a nearby abandoned home, Nico and Annabeth each supporting one of Percy’s limp arms. 

“We’ve got to get back to New Rome now!” Annabeth cried, frantically fluttering her hands about Percy’s body, unsure what to do.

“Annabeth, I can’t shadow travel all of us from Afghanistan to California right now. I don’t even think I could do it on my own,” Nico panted. 

“I-” Percy moaned, eyes blinking sluggishly.

“Percy, don’t try to speak,” Annabeth hushed him, but his bloody fingers gripped Nico’s shoulder, prompting the dark-haired man to look over.

“I-” he tried again, this time a coughing fit wracked his body, but Nico could discern the word he kept trying to say.

Iris.

“How would she help?” Annabeth looked cross, but Nico would have done anything Percy asked.

“Oh, Lady Iris, please accept my offering,” Nico looked around desperately and threw his drachma into a muddy puddle nearby. The water rippled and out of the one-inch-deep water emerged a beautiful woman enrobed in a chiton that swirled with bright colors every time she moved.

Percy dropped to his knees, either out of exhaustion or in a show of respect for the goddess that had graced them with her presence. 

“A dirty puddle, really?” She raised an eyebrow, but took a look around and sighed. “I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get today.” She waved her hands at them to stand, and as Nico and Annabeth held Percy up, she came closer. Up close, she looked younger, but she emanated mom vibes, especially when she tilted Percy’s head back, took a look at his swollen face, and ‘tsk’d him.

“Young Perseus, what are we going to do with you. Always getting into trouble,” she brushed her finger across his brow, wiping away sweat and blood. 

“Please, Lady Iris, we need to get to the medical center in New Rome, I hate to be disrespectful, but we don’t have time for this,” Annabeth’s words were rushed in comparison to Iris’ otherworldly unhurriedness. Iris acted and moved as if she had all the time in the world, and she did. 

“Why, that is why Percy has summoned me,” Nico decided not to retort and mention that it was him that had summoned her. He had a feeling they were about to experience some godly kindness, and didn’t want to mess that up.

As he watched, Iris waved her hand above her head, and a huge rainbow decorated the sky, coming to touch down at her feet. 

“Follow me,” and with that, she stepped into the rainbow and disappeared.


	8. The Space Between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the dialogue is song lyrics. See if you can figure out which.

Will was prepping a cot for Percy when a sliver of rainbow appeared in the room, causing a great shock. He and his assistant paused in awe and watched as an actual goddess walked into their room.

“Lady Iris,” Will bowed at the waist. “What have we done to deserve such a visit?” He asked when he stood.

“Nothing you’ve done, William. I simply owed our dearest Perseus a favor,” she said with a wink before dissipating into a colorful mist. The next thing that came through the rainbow was less ethereal. 

Nico and Annabeth were holding Percy up by the shoulders. He was bruised and bloodied, definitely had some broken ribs and a broken nose. 

“Move,” Nico panted, obviously straining, and Will jerked out of the way as Nico and Annabeth laid Percy down in the cot face down. That was when Percy’s mess of a back was revealed to Will.

“Holy Apollo,” he sucked his breath in through his teeth, letting himself panic for only a moment before snapping into his doctor mode.

“Helen, fetch the nectar and ambrosia. Annabeth, soak this in cold water,” he handed her a clean towel. “Nico, hold his hand.”

“What?” His boyfriend exclaimed.

“I have to clean this wound before we can heal it. It’s going to suck a LOT. Hold. His. Hand,” he growled, and nodded at himself when Nico reached out his hand to grasp Percy’s.

“Nico,” Percy mumbled, and smiled a dopey smile at Nico as he turned his head to look at the other man.

“Percy,” Nico said back, still reeling over the entire experience. Percy was a soldier, Nico knew that, but now Percy was a Navy fucking SEAL. Who could withstand torture. And saves princesses. He was a hero. 

Nico rolled his eyes. Percy had always been a hero. 

“Fucking Hell!” Percy exclaimed, eyes widening as Will used the wet towel to clean debris off of Percy’s back.

“It’ll be over soon and then we can give you nectar,” he practically cooed at his patient, calmly and methodically cleaning the dirt out of his wounds.

“You’re a sadist William Solace,” Percy grunted. 

Nico barked out a harsh laugh at that, and watched Will sputter and blush.

“I’ll only excuse your behavior because I am, in fact, inflicting pain upon you. But, next time, you’ll be punished,” he did get some gratification out of Percy’s reddening cheeks. Good, he’d managed to distract him. 

“Helen, the ambrosia,” Will broke off a piece of the godly food and coaxed Percy into consuming it, though the process was slow and Will was afraid of administering too much. He didn’t want Percy to burn up.

“Percy, should we be contacting someone?” Nico interrupted Percy’s pained chewing. 

“My unit,” he groaned. “And my mom.” He felt himself shiver at the thought. He was an adult now, but still afraid of his mother’s reaction of this. He hadn’t been home in so long.

“I can Iris message the unit, but I should go visit my mom,” Percy groaned as he attempted to sit up.

“Not in this condition.” Will deadpanned. “We can’t give you more nectar or ambrosia lest you burn to death, and you’re still in no condition to leave this room. The pain might have subsided for now but you’re still just one huge open wound.” Will frowned. “Tell us who to contact and we’ll do it.”

“Henry Jenkins. Son of Mars.” Percy sighed in defeat, but laid back down. 

“We’ll contact him and your mom,” Nico patted his hand before pulling away.

“Wait,” Percy’s eyes widened as the last two people in the room turned to look at him.

“I’ve been alone with nobody to talk to for nine days. Will one of you stay with me?” He pleaded, giving his baby seal eyes to Nico and Will.

“Nico will stay, I will go contact your mom and your unit,” Will nodded and stared pointedly at his boyfriend, who looked a  _ little  _ apprehensive. It wasn’t like the two of them were head over heels for Percy or anything. But, he couldn’t really do much as Will left the room and Percy sighed as he laid his head down and shut his eyes.

Nico couldn’t imagine the pain Percy was in. Even with the healing ambrosia, his back was a huge bloody mess.

“I know I look a mess, but most of my bones have mended,” Percy murmured. 

“That’s a relief,” Nico reached out and held Percy’s hand again. “Will and I were so worried when we-” He cut himself off. Percy still didn’t know that he and Will had been his pen pals.

“When you what?” He asked nonetheless. Nico bit his lip. He didn’t want to lie, but he had hoped Will could deal with this.

“When we got the letter…” He started slowly. “From lieutenant Jenkins, that you were MIA,” Nico was trying to judge Percy’s facial features but the other man’s eyes were closed and his face was tight with pain. 

“A letter?” Percy asked, though Nico thought it might be a rhetorical question.

“Yes,” he replied anyway. “The name was redacted, but we made the connection. JP,” he tilted his head as Percy opened his eyes curiously. “Jackson, Perseus.”

Percy hummed.

“Interesting,” he replied. Nico thought that was a politician’s answer. Percy didn’t seem all too surprised, but the man had been through extensive training, it was very possible he was shocked beyond belief that his two very best friends he hadn’t seen in several years were the two people writing the letters he had come to be so attached to. 

In a moment though, the facade was broken as Percy frowned and looked Nico in the eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when I left. I’m sorry I missed so many birthdays and holidays. I’m sorry I missed you two growing into such capable and amazing men.” Nico wanted to stop the rambling as Percy’s eyes became glassy, but he wasn’t sure how to respond to such and honest apology.

“I-” He stopped. He eyed the door as Will stood there with his mouth open in shocked silence. “I know things were hard on you,” he started. “I didn’t know how bad things were. I didn’t know what you were going through. I thought that you were fine. Why did you have to hide?”

“I didn’t want to let you down, but the truth is out,” Percy sighed and rested his head on his hand. “It was tearing me apart not listening to my heart. I had to go-” 

“And I would never stop you,” Nico interrupted.

“Even though we’ve changed…” Percy paused. “Everything is still the same for me. I haven’t gotten past the wars and Tartarus and Jason. I’m just worse off now because I haven’t dealt with it.”   
“We can find someone for you to talk to, please, stay,” Will pleaded from the doorway. “You can go back to your unit, you still have a home there, but,’ he paused. “You still have a home with us, too.”


	9. Reunions

Percy thought on it for a few days, but really he knew he had made his decision as soon as Will had said ‘please.’ He would have done anything for him and Nico. 

_ Really?  _ He thought to himself.  _ If that were true, you would have stayed. _ He scolded himself.

He was staying in the praetor’s mansion, as Reyna had said “Once a praetor, always a praetor.” Therefore, he was always welcome. However, if he was planning on staying, he would have to find a permanent home. 

He had made contact with his unit after he was fully healed, and they had dubiously agreed to leave his case file listing him as MIA. 

He also spent a week at his mom’s, though he knew that was only temporary. Today was the first day he would be spending with his friends. They didn’t know he was back, so he was unsure if it was actually a good idea to surprise them. But, he couldn’t ask Nico, Will, and the praetors to keep his secret for much longer. 

He strolled over to the art museum dressed down in jeans and a blue t-shirt, a little unused to such soft clothes, and meandered over to Annabeth and Piper. They were examining a Dalí when he tapped his blonde best friend on her shoulder.

He honestly expected her to judo-flip him or get him in a chokehold, but it spoke a lot to her personal growth when she only looked over her shoulder with a slight frown before several emotions flashed on her face. Confusion. Anger. Relief. Pure, unadulterated joy.

“Seaweed Brian!” She caught him off guard with her hug, but he immediately returned it. 

“Wise Girl,” he sighed and melted into the embrace.

“I see Nico found you,” she commented once she’d pulled away and was holding him by his arms. Maybe she hadn’t let go because she was afraid he’d go away again. The thought dampened his mood.

“He did,” Percy sighed, then looked over Annabeth’s shoulder. “Hey, Pipes.”

“Good to see you, dork,” she smiled fondly at the Hero of Olympus. 

“I wanted to see you because,” he paused and bashfully looked down. “I’ll be here permanently.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Annabeth patted him on his shoulder. “Where will you be staying?”   
“Right now I’m staying with the praetors. Leo said I’m always welcome, but he’s staying with Calypso, so I  _ really _ don’t want to get into that. I’ll probably find an apartment to stay in on my own for a while. But,” he grimaced. “Because I’m considered missing in action, my accounts are frozen, so I have to work that out if I want to start paying rent.”

“Big oof,” Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “How are you going to get out of that one?”   
“He has us to help,” a voice came from behind them, and Percy turned to see Nico and Will in their fancy clothes looking very dapper while approaching them. 

“You should stay with us until you get back on your feet,” Will suggested, coming up to sling his arm around the Sea Prince’s shoulders. 

“Yes, we’ve thought about it extensively,” Nico added while coming to stand in front of Percy. “And considering the situation, we feel very comfortable offering you our spare room.”

Percy looked down. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve such kindness. Letters aside, he’d left Will and Nico just as their friendship had blossomed and hadn’t spoken a word to them until this very year. 

“I couldn’t possibly…” He started, looking shyly up at Nico before glancing over at Will He hadn’t noticed before, but while Will was about the same height as Percy, Nico nearly towered over them. He’d really grown into himself.

Nonetheless, Percy shrugged out of Will’s grasp. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense,” Will replied at the same time Annabeth scoffed.

“Let people be nice to you.” She nearly scolded him.  _ Nearly?  _ He asked himself.  _ She’s definitely scolding me. _

“Please,” Nico smiled down at him. “Let us help you. It’s not permanent, but you’ve saved both of our asses so many times, it would be our honest pleasure to help you out, Perce.”

That was hard to argue with.

“I’ll pay you back somehow,” Percy countered them.

“Sure,” Will shrugged before grasping Percy by the arm. “Whatever you feel is adequate. But for now, we should bring your stuff into our house.”

“I don’t have much,” Percy glanced at his feet and shuffled them self-consciously. “What I had I left behind with my unit.” He felt his eyes prickled and willed the tears back before he got emotional. “I don’t even have your letters anymore.”

“That’s alright, Percy,” Nico rested his palm comfortingly on Percy’s shoulder. “You’ve got the real thing now. We’re always here for you.”

This time, Percy let the emotions come as he wrapped his two friends in a tight hug, thankful Annabeth and Piper had moved on already so that this moment was private.

“Thank you.”


End file.
